"The Strongest! The Strongest! The Strongest!"
The surrounding crowd was also cheering.
As expected of the battle of Fairy Tail's strongests, it was truly spectacular.
Seeing the battle between the two, Freed felt that Laxus's loss was not unjustified.
After all, if even Gildarts couldn't handle Takeshi, how could Laxus possibly be Takeshi's match?
Hearing the crowd shout "The Strongest," Takeshi shook his head helplessly.
He knew Gildarts had intentionally held back. Gildarts had barely initiated any attacks against him from start to finish, even waiting for him to use a move before blocking it.
Most importantly, Gildarts was still injured. Although he had recovered significantly thanks to Porlyusica's medicine, the loss of his left arm and left leg still had a considerable impact on his strength.
"Kid, you're Fairy Tail's strongest now. Don't let Fairy Tail be embarrassed." Gildarts said with a relaxed expression.
He had carried the title of Fairy Tail's strongest for a long time, and as the strongest, he naturally had to uphold the dignity of that position. Now that the title of the strongest had been passed to Takeshi, he immediately felt much lighter.
Takeshi said, "Gildarts-san, you did that on purpose."
"Hahahaha... What are you talking about? I don't understand." Gildarts rubbed the back of his head.
He instinctively made this gesture whenever he felt awkward.
Soon, the surrounding citizens dispersed, and the people inside the Guild returned, discussing the spectacular battle in small groups.
Makarov said to Gildarts, "Handing over the title of the Guild's strongest so easily, don't you feel unwilling?"
Although Gildarts appeared magnanimous, Makarov knew clearly that this brat, when he was young, had been arrogant and refused to submit to anyone. A person's temper might change, but their inner self would never change, that was what defined a man.
He could tell that Gildarts had intentionally given the title of the Guild's strongest to Takeshi. With Takeshi holding the title of Fairy Tail's strongest, his path to becoming the Guild Master of Fairy Tail later on would be much smoother.
Although Fairy Tail didn't strictly adhere to these customs, the principle of 'might makes right' was universally applied in Mage Guilds, or rather, throughout the Magic World.
Mage Guilds were full of hot-tempered individuals, and conflicts happened frequently. The Guild Master required absolute authority, so typically, the Guild Master was also the Guild's strongest member.
Gildarts smiled. "Of course, I feel unwilling, but not because I handed over the title of the strongest. I feel unwilling toward myself."
"Oh?"
Makarov looked at Gildarts, confused.
"I'm forty-five years old, more than double the age of Takeshi and these other kids, yet in terms of strength, I'm quickly being caught up to by Takeshi."
"So, my surrender was completely willing, because I truly lost. When I was his age, my strength was nowhere near his."
"The feeling of unwillingness is the same. I don't want to lose to anyone, regardless of age or experience."
"That kid will continue to grow stronger, and quickly. Maybe it won't be long before I am completely surpassed."
The glass in Gildarts's hand trembled slightly. He had initially intended to teach Takeshi a good lesson, to make him understand that there are stronger people out there.
Who would have thought that the one who ended up being taught a lesson was himself?
This was the first time in years he had encountered someone who made him feel such an intense sense of urgency.
He suddenly felt that he had been slacking off these past few years. It was time to return to his original aspiration and train properly.
The appearance of the black dragon made him understand the meaning of human despair.
With a blow coming from the front and a pursuit from the rear, he began to feel a sense of urgency.
Makarov clinked glasses with Gildarts. He knew Gildarts well. This brat had been strong since he was young. Gildarts' title as the strongest wasn't given to him by others, he earned it himself through battle.
After this experience, he believed this brat would become even stronger.
—
On a deserted island, a young man cupped the water from a stream in his hands and drank.
A full moon hung in the sky, making the island night feel like day.
At this moment, over a dozen starving wolves looked at the man as if he were delicious prey, cautiously surrounding him from all sides.
"Don't come near me! Stop! I am not your enemy."
The wolves were famished and didn't care if he was an enemy or not, everything was food to them.
But just as the wolves drew closer, a black light rapidly spread out, centered on the man.
Wherever the light passed, the wolves' lives were swiftly taken, birds dropped from the sky, and flowers, grass, and trees began to wither, as if all life had vanished.
"I'm sorry... I don't want to take anyone's life. The world is rejecting me. Natsu... I want to see you soon."
—
Nighttime, at Takeshi's home.
Ding! Dong!
The clock chimed midnight.
Takeshi wasn't sure why his lucky time was always midnight, but now wasn't the time to think about that.
[Proceed with Ten Spins?]
"Confirm."
During the battle with Gildarts two days ago, Takeshi saw that his spin count had accumulated to eight. Since he only needed two more for a 10× draw, he immediately went and completed two A-rank Quests to make up the difference and gather enough for the 10× draw.
Don't ask why he didn't do a 1× spin eight times.
Had he gotten a purple Character Card from a 1× spin before?
Yes. He had gotten a purple from a 1× spin, but he had never gotten a gold from a 1× spin.
In his previous life, he had suffered too much from 1× spins.
On the system panel, ten points of starlight continuously converged in the sky.
Although there was an option to skip, this system draw screen was something he never got tired of watching.
"Gold! Gold! Gold!"
Takeshi cupped his hands and prayed inwardly.
According to the Law of Quantum Entanglement, when a person's will is strong enough, things will develop in the direction they desire.
Whoosh... Whoosh...
Lights of various colors descended toward the earth.
Based on experience, the first few were always white, green, or blue.
Takeshi still watched intently, thinking that maybe one day the system would malfunction, or a bug would occur, and the very first one would be gold.
Of course, those were just fantasies, not even dreams.
Suddenly—
A streak of golden light shone brightly from the endless starry sky.
Upon seeing it, Takeshi jumped up excitedly. Even though he had drawn several gold cards before, getting a gold was still an incredibly thrilling event.
"It's gold! It's gold!"
Just as Takeshi was shouting excitedly, the draw screen did not stop.
Another golden light shone brightly in the endless starry sky and descended toward the earth.
Seeing this sight, Takeshi was stunned.
The previous one wasn't the tenth draw? It was the ninth draw!
"This is... double Gold!"